Genealogy research by Mark Humphrys.
Genealogy research by Mark Humphrys.
James Porteous.
Porteous married in 1809 to Katherine Somerville [bapt 7 Jan 1783].
Porteous is listed as owning 50 slaves at Bonhill
in 1811 Jamaica Almanac.
(Figure is for 1810.)
His is one of the smaller estates in the parish.
Jamaica Almanacs from 1811 to his death
show him owning between 49 and 56 slaves.
Death, 1821:
He died 15 Dec 1821 in Jamaica.
See notice
on p.559
of The Edinburgh magazine and literary miscellany
(a new series of The Scots Magazine),
Apr 1822.
The estate of
James Porteous is listed as owning 58 slaves at Bonhill
in 1824 Jamaica Almanac.
(Figure is for 1823.)
James and Katherine
had issue:
Could they be extra-marital children of the slave-owner James Porteous?
Maybe not.
The baptisms seem to note where that was the case, by writing something like "mulatto".
Could it be a naming convention to give slaves from the estate
the master's surname?
Maybe.
A discussion of
slave surnames in Jamaica
says it was not the norm to give the slave the master's surname,
but it did happen.
Baptism on 22 Feb 1818 of a slave,
Grace Porteous, "belonging to Mr.Porteous".
Baptisms of St. Thomas in the East parish.
From here.
Baptism on 22 July 1822 of Fanny Porteous,
dau of William (maybe Porteous) and his wife, of Bonhill.
This is on a long page of baptisms of slaves.
Children on the page generally have no parents listed, an indication they are all slaves.
Parents are listed here clearly because the parents are also slaves.
Note James Porteous is dead at this point.
Baptisms of St. Thomas in the East parish.
From here.
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